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A smart aleck demon and its long-suffering keeper, quirky locals in a tourist town, and a touch of Lovecraft on the California coast. Entertaining and amusing, if not “laugh out loud” funny.
Have Tech, Will Travel
Dean Wesley Smith, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Dayton Ward, Christie Golden, Kevin Dilmore
A collection of four novellas following the S.C.E. characters. More of Trek’s expanded universe.
Painfully obviously early in the TNG novels (it is the first not adapted from an episode). Characterizations are wildly off base (Riker’s distrust of Data is basically overt racism). Just…oof.
A bit of early TNG taking on the Prine Directive. A marked improvement from the last (first) novel, but still obviously at a point where the characters were still being developed.
A thoroughly entertaining romp with Emperor Georgiou between seasons one and two of DIS, as she adjusts to her new universe and gets recruited by Section 31. Plus ties to TOS and DS9. Fun!
Decent for early TNG, though more than a bit on-the-nose with the Pied Piper connections (children abducted from a place called Hamlin by aliens whose language is music).
Explores Tasha Yar’s past, her reconciliation with parts of that past shortly before her death, and her relationship with Data. Despite having some early-novel oddities, this one was a bit above average.
Can’t decide if it wants to be comedic or serious, and has wildly out-of-character (or ridiculously exaggerated) moments for nearly every main character. Amusing moments, but not a good Trek novel.
Much better than the last one. While the environmental themes are pretty heavy-handed, it’s nice to find a Trek novel where everything isn’t wrapped up neatly with a bow by the end.
It's entertaining (to me, at least) to read reflections on Star Trek and its influence from relatively early in its existence. Less a renunciation of the Spock character than a combined exploration of Nimoy's experiences as Spock and in the years immediately following Star Trek, this is a fun little snapshot of a time when Trek, while definitely already a force to be reckoned with, was a long way from the four-decade juggernaut it is today.